Ethnocentrism

[tranquil]

Ethnocentrism.

Ethnocentrism is a concept that refers to people's tendency to place themselves at the center of the universe and not only evaluate others by the standards of their own culture but also believe that their culture is superior to all others.

The idea that 'my culture & values are obviously better than those of the 'others' because the others don't make sense!' is deeply ingrained in most people all over the world. I have lived in the Middle East, in Pakistan and in the US and this belief is shared by all ethnic groups and cultures that I have interacted with.

For instance, when I told one of my American male friends that I was going to live in a joint family with my in-laws after marriage, he said "Oh... I am so sorry. I can't imagine how tough that must be for you!". Americans, belonging to a highly individualist culture, can never imagine living in a joint family system. In Pakistan, it's an accepted/appreciated norm of our highly collectivist culture. Over here, parents are the kids' responsibility once they enter old age (retire) - kids who don't take care of their parents are looked down upon. In the US, such a scenario is rare, if not completely absent.

Then there's food - The Chinese & Japanese would perhaps call Pakistani food way to spicy, much too oily and overcooked to death, and thus pretty unhealthy! On the other hand, we think Chinese food (not the American sort) is not palatable with all the strange sea & land animals on the menu - and the Japanese - as far as most Pakistanis are concerned, they don't cook their food at all To each of these cultures, the others' cuisine may seem strange, too exotic to be tasteful and sometimes downright indigestible!

Then there's this debate I always had with my American room-mate - What's more hygienic - Halal (Kosher) meat or the meat we get at Publix or Winn Dixie? She thought its cruel to slaughter animals the way we do (bleed them to death) and I thought chopping the head off doesn't allow the blood to drain out properly and is thus unsafe for consumption. Never-ending - she thought I was crazy (actually the Publix meat WAS prettier but halal/kosher IS healthier:p)

And lastly but most importantly. No one in the Muslim world can rationalize the use of toilette paper in the washroom as opposed to the nice hygienic washing with lots of water! Most Americans think we are crazy for carrying bottles of water to the WC and most Pakistanis (and Muslims) gawk at the idea of an unwashed bottom!

...and these are just the more obvious routine examples. There's the "British drivers drive on the wrong side of the road!" and the "Indians (people from the sub-continent) smell of curry" in the nasty sense and the "wearing head scarves curtails women's freedom!". I have also heard people saying when I lived in the UAE "Sudanese women wear a deadly fragrance!" again, in the nasty sense, or as I usually comment to my friends "Polygamous societies are crazy! How can their women let their husbands do this to them?" - well, I have come across an Indonesian female who told me she has found a new wife for her husband because he is a great guy and she wants him to be happy!

Then there is the West and the Arabs. If anyone has seen You Don't Mess With the Zohan, you would know what I am talking about (In fact it is the most ethnocentric movie I have seen lately - it is funny in how it shows the Arab Israeli fight is senseless but it's also almost blatantly ridiculing the whole Arab-Israeli way of life - do watch).

One can find innumerable other examples of how ethnocentrism plays a very important role in shaping how we think as individuals and as a society. History is replete with examples of how ethnocentrism has played a very destructive role in the world. It was ethnocentrism that made the colonizers label the Red Indians 'savages' or the Africans 'slaves' . It was ethnocentrism that led to the holocaust and to WWII. That's why I always say, one needs to travel the world, interact with people from different cultures and try and appreciate their unique culture and society - surely it works out for them and there must be some sense to the way they have chosen to live and we should respect that just like we respect our culture (unless we are xenocentric and tip to the other extreme!).